Cabaret Dinnerware from the Imperial Hotel
Design Date 1916–1922 (design modified 1933)
Designer Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959, American)
Manufacturer Noritake (1904-present), Nagoya, Japan
Media ceramic
Dimensions Dinner Plate 10 1/2 inches, Bread & Butter Plate 6 3/8 inches
Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to replace the old Imperial Hotel in Tokyo with new construction meant to bridge Eastern and Western styles. Reinforced concrete and brick walls and terra cotta tile floors were paired with carved Japanese Oya stone. Wright had admired Japan for years and collected Japanese woodblock prints. He lived in Japan for five years while overseeing the hotel’s construction, which was completed in 1922. One of Wright’s greatest achievements, the hotel exemplifies his vision of a total work of art.
Wright designed two sets of dinnerware for the Imperial Hotel. The Cabaret Dinnerware was for less formal dining. Wright worked on the Coonley Playhouse and Imperial Hotel projects at the same time and introduced the circles and primary colors into both projects.
ON VIEW in Art Deco Gallery 6
Markings Noritake mark with "1968" production date on bottom of both
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2011.1132, 2011.1136
